Fire-extinguisher



B. B. CARTER.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

y n APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29| I9I6. 1,401,135.

. y l l Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BYRON '.B. CARTER, OF HINSDALE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES D. ALLAN, OF

cnroiieo,

ILLINOIS.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHEB.

Application led June 29,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BYRON B. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hinsdale, in the county of Du Page and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire- Extinguishers, of which the following is a speciiication.

'Iliis invention relates to fire extinguishers, and relates particularly to sprinklers for automatic sprinkler systems.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved fusible element for such sprinklers which, in addition to the requisites of strength and sensitiveness to heat, shall be safe and dependable in use, so that they will not break under Vthe stresses to which they are subjected until fused in the manner intended. To this end, a fusible element of my invention comprises the various features and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, is which my invention is fully illustrated,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sprinkler having a fusible element of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front 'or faceview of the side of the element which is exposed in Fig. l. Y a

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of said element.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of said element 011 the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view thereof on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawing, A designates, as a whole, the frame of the sprinkler. Said frame Al may be of any desired or approved construction and will be readilyun-l derstood byl those familiar `with the art from the drawing without a detailedjde'scription thereof. v v

As shown, the sprinkler is of `theftype in which the fusible element, ldesignated asa whole a, is applied .to secure the ca 1in position to close the nozzle of said sprinkler, by means of what may 'appropriately and for purposes of convenient reference -be called toggle levers, respectively designated 2 and 3, the relation being such that, in use, said fusible element will be 'under compression. My improved fusible element may, however, be used in other usual and well Specification of Letters Patent. Pat-rented Dec. 27, 1921.

isis. Serial No. 106,606.

known ways and I do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to the manner of use shown. My improved fusible element consists of only two members 4 and 5, which are made of suitable metal, being preferably stamped from sheet phosphor bronze and being of proper width and thickness to afford requisite strengt. not only in the metal itself, but in the solder joint by which said members are connected.

` For purposes of convenient reference and to distinguish between them, the member 4 will be hereinafter referred to as the upper member and the strut member 5 as the lower member.

rllhe lower end of the upper member 4 rests on a shoulder 6 formed on the lower member 5 at a distance from the end thereof which overlaps said member 4. The position of the shoulder 6 is such that said members will overlap to such an extent and said members are made of such width as will provide a solder joint connecting said members, of `suiiicient area to insure adequate strength in said fusible element. Y In practice, I contemplate a solder joint substantially five-eighths of an inch long and eleven-sixteenths of an inch wide.

The shoulder 6 will sustain the entire compression stress to which said strut is subjected in use and is offset from the line of thrust or compression of said fusible element to produce a lateral component tending to break the solder joint between the overlapping ends of said members by a turning movement thereof relatively to each other about the point of contact of the overlapping end" of the member 4 with the shoulder 6.

`To insure against breaking ofthelmember 5 at the shoulder 6 under any load to which it may be subjected in use, said shoulder is preferably reinforced and strengthened by a rib'7 formedz by stamping back the central portion of said member below the shoulder 6, as clearly shown in the drawing.

Formed on one of said members are marginal flanges 8 which are adapted to embrace the lateral edges of the 'other member, the relation being such that said flanges will operate asguides to 'insure alinement of said members with each other with the shoulder 6 on the member 5 and the end `of the member 4 designed to bear against saidv f shoulder, parallel with each other, whereby a metal to metal contact between said shoulder and the end of said member' 4, which bears against said shoulder, may be conveniently secured in soldering said members together, thereby effectually preventing relative movement of said members in use due tothe load to which they are subjected, with attendant cold flow of the solder `and consequent weakening of the solder joint. As shown, said flanges 8 are formed on the up per. member 4 and embrace the lateral edges of the member 5 above the shoulder 6. Said flanges 8 will form a channel on the side of the member 4 which contacts with the member 5, which isA slightly wider at the bottom thereof than the width of the member 5 and the sides of which, formed by said flanges 8,*flare slightly outwardly away from the surface of the member 4 on which they are formed, thus effectually insuring against Wedging and binding of the member 5 in said channel, that is, between'said flanges 8. In what I now consider the preferable relation, the bottom ofthe channel formed by said 'flanges 8 is made one sixty-fourth of an inch wider than'the member 5 and said flanges 8 are each flared approximately three degrees from a perpendicular to the Vplane of the side of said member 4 on which said flanges are formed.

As is generally well known by persons familiar with the use of automatic sprinklers under different conditions, the solder joints connecting the. members of fusible elements, if exposed to the action of certain acid fumes, as the fumes of nitric and. hy-

drochloric acid, will be Vattacked thereby,

causing thesolder tofset and `harden and also raising' the fusing point thereof, thus rendering the sprinklers very unreliable andl uncertain'in their operation. To overcome this objectionable feature, resort isl usually had to what istechnically known as loading whichmay be described as surplus solderv applied to the exposed edges of the solder joints and which forms a body of solder of such thickness that it will Veffectually protect the solder joints proper from the action of the acid fumes, thus insuring fusing of the fusible element and G to a point above or beyond the overlap, ping endv of the member 5, and are prefer-V the collapse of thesprinklerat the predetermined temperature desired.

ln myimproved sprinkler, the flanges 8 provide convenient means for very' effectively loading the solder joint connecting thev members 4 and 5. For this purpose, said flanges 8 are made continuous and of suchA length that they willcover the edges of' thesolder joint between the overlapping endsV of the members 4 and 5 from the shoulder ably made of such width that they will extendsl-ightly above the exposed' side of the overlapping end of said member 5, all as clearly shown in Fig` 4 of the drawing. To load the solder joint between the overlapping ends of the members of the fusible element, the spaces between the edges of the member 5 and the flanges 8 are filled with solder, a suficient quantitypof solder being used to form what may be called beads 9 on said fusible element L overlying the edges of the solder-filled spaces between said meinn ber 5 and the flanges 8, said beads being made of such size that they will afford full protection to the solder joints at the margins of said fusible elements. At the over" vin Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, it is indicated in dotted lilies to avoid obscuring parts over- -laid thereby', and in Fig. 'the loading 9 shown in full lines.

l claim: v l. A fusible element comprising overlapping members soldered together, a shoulder formed on one of said members against which the overlapping end of the other member bears, flanges on one of said members which embrace the lateral edges'of ythe other member constructed and arranged to support said members in alinement with each other, and loading for the solder joint connectingv saidV members comprising solder which lls the spaces between said flanges and the lateral edges of the member embraced thereby, substantially'as described.

2. A fusible element comprising overlap# ping members soldered. together, a shoulder formed on one of said members against which the overlapping end ofthe other member bears, :flanges onl one of said members whichA embrace the lateral edges of the other member Vand which` extendA above the exposed surfacefthereof, constructed` and ar-V ranged to Asupport said membersV in aline-Y ment with. each other, and loading for the solder joint connecting said members com? bers which embrace the lateral edgesV of the other member and which Vflare outwardly, said fianges being constructed and arranged tok support said members in alinement with each other, and loading for the solder joint connecting said members comprising solder which fills the spaces between said flanges and the lateral edges of the member embraced thereby, substantially as described.

4. A fusible element comprising overlap ping members soldered together, a shoulder formed on one of said members against which the overlapping end of' the other bears, and flanges on one of said members which embrace the lateral edges of' the other member, said flanges being constructed and arranged to support said members in aline-y ment with each other, substantially as described.

5. A fusible element comprising overlapping members soldered together, a shoulder formed on one of said members against which the overlapping end of the other member bears, flanges on the member the end of which bears against said shoulder which embrace the lateral edges of said shouldered member, said flanges being constructed and arranged to support usaid members in alinement with each other, substanstantially as described.

6. A fusible element comprising overlapping members soldered together, a shoulder formed on one of said members against which the overlapping end of the other member bears, flanges on the member the end of which bears against said shoulder which embrace the lateral edges of said shouldered member, said flanges being constructed and arranged to support said members in alinement with each other, and loading for the solder joint connecting said members comprising solder which fills the spaces between said flanges and the lateral edges of said shouldered member, substantially as described.

7 A fusible element comprising overlapping members soldered together, a shoulder formed on one of said members against which the overlapping end of the other member bears, and flared flanges on the member the end of which bears against said shoulder which embrace the lateral edges of said shouldered member, said flanges being constructed and arranged to support said members in alinement with each other, and loading for the solder joint connecting said members comprising solder which lls the spaces between said flanges and the lateral edges of said shouldered member, substantially as described. i

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses this 28 day of June, 1916.

BYRON B. CARTER. Witnesses:

FRANK J. GURLEE, ALEX D. KING, Jn. 

